ChainCatcher news, according to CoinDesk, alternative asset management firm Investcorp and Securitize have signed a cooperation agreement to promote fund tokenization. The two companies will initially develop tokenized funds within Investcorp's Strategic Capital Group (ISCG), which manages $1.5 billion in assets and was established in 2019.ISCG specializes in acquiring minority stakes in alternative asset management firms (GPs) and has partnered with mid-sized GPs in areas such as acquisitions, secondary markets, structured equity, private credit, and physical asset strategies. This partnership allows qualified investors to leverage GP staking strategies through Securitize's tokenization technology and utilize the efficiency of blockchain to expand access to emerging private markets.Investcorp has previously been an active participant in the cryptocurrency space. In 2022, the firm poached former ING digital asset head Herve Francois to help establish its first blockchain fund. Since then, the company has led or invested in multiple funding rounds for cryptocurrency firms.

According to ChainCatcher news and a report released on Thursday by CoinDesk, the world's largest securities settlement system, the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC), has completed a pilot project with the blockchain oracle Chainlink (LINK) and several major financial institutions in the United States, aimed at accelerating the tokenization of funds.The goal of the Smart NAV project is to establish a standardized process for introducing and disseminating fund net asset value (NAV) data across almost all private or public blockchains using Chainlink's interoperability protocol CCIP.Market participants reportedly include American Century Investments, BNY Mellon, Edward Jones, Franklin Templeton, Invesco, JPMorgan, MFS Investment Management, Mid-Atlantic Trust Company, State Street Bank, and U.S. Bank.

ChainCatcher news, the UK Treasury's technical working group has released a new report on fund tokenization. This new report builds on the first report published by the technical working group in November 2023 and expands on the potential use cases for fund tokenization that were highlighted for the first time in the initial report. It specifically explores the use of tokens as collateral for money market funds and the role of tokenized funds in fully on-chain investment markets.In the third phase of work, the technical working group will now focus on how the UK investment management sector can leverage the opportunities brought by artificial intelligence.

ChainCatcher news, according to CoinDesk, the UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) expressed support for a report released by industry experts on Friday regarding the implementation of fund tokenization. The technical working group established by the Treasury's Asset Management Special Task Force stated that companies should ensure their funds are authorized by UK regulators, hold traditional assets, and should be interoperable with future technologies. For companies to successfully launch tokenized funds, regulatory certainty is required. Furthermore, in certain cases, companies wishing to use DLT need to register with the FCA and comply with its Money Laundering Regulations (MLR). The FCA is currently exploring whether it can expedite the MLR application process for companies that have already been authorized.